U.S. Pat. No. 4,128,219, filed on May 17, 1976 discloses a “freely-movable support”, that allows a longitudinal and transverse movement of piping caused by thermal contraction and expansion. The support is formed by crisscrossed vertical and horizontal supporting rod elements having a dismountable connection. This provides the possibility of adjusting the relative position of the pipeline. The pipeline is covered by rigid clamps fixed to the movable horizontal support elements. The design of the support and support assembly provides the ability to adjust the position of the pipeline many times with its quite rigid fixation.
The disadvantages of the known solutions include a relatively large number of connections, ties and fasteners, screws and nuts for height adjustment. This creates certain limitations of use of the supports, and presents challenges in performing preventive maintenance and inspection of the support. The support design includes a large number of areas that are difficult to inspect. Thus, if any repair is required, disassembly of the support is likely required. Additionally, the absence of a rigid connection between piles may result in damage or separation of piles if the soil heaves or otherwise moves.
A similar solution is described in RF patent No. 128274 titled “SUPPORT FOR PIPELINE WITH GRADE.” According to this reference, a support includes a pipeline half-yoke, a base plate and stand that are movably interconnected, and a cradle having a body mounted on the stand in such a way that the cradle can move relative to the stand.
The main disadvantage of this design is that the sliding surface of the stand has an inclined orientation. This increases the load on the pipeline during operation when installed on ground having a slope. In addition, the design does not allow for constraint of movement of the stand, which creates a risk of displacement beyond the amount determined using the design.
RF patent No. 64316 discloses a longitudinally movable support pipe which is the nearest analog of the present invention. This reference discloses a cradle with clamps covering a pipeline, along with a base plate with hinges. A stand is attached to the cradle and installed on the hinges. Side cheeks of the stand are beveled to allow tilting of the cradle relative to the base plate. A support with a plate is installed on a prepared site. The pipe is put down on the cradle and fixed with clamps. The location of a free standing plate (tower base) on the support allows free movement of the pipe. A short stand with hinges further allows the support to adapt to the location.
This support moves with the pipeline on the platform. In response to an increase in length of the pipeline (such as due to temperature changes), increased loads from friction between the plate and the pilework supporting surface affects the pipeline. In addition, the lack of friction pads between the cradle and the insulated pipe may result in damage to a jacket and insulation of the pipe.
The object of the present disclosure is to provide a reliable and functional support that reduces a risk of deformation of the pipeline in difficult geological conditions (i.e., environments associated with extremely low temperatures and potential heaving of permafrost).
The technical result of the disclosure is a uniform distribution of the pipeline load on the bedding cradle, the potential relative movement of a movable part of a pipeline support in specific conditions, a reduction of the likelihood of deformation caused by soil heaving, and compensation for potential deformation of the unit on a pile of the hinged type.